Paternity leave for bank officers from June 1

Officer-fathers in the banking sector will now be officially entitled to paternal leave. With effect from June 1, 2015, an officer with less than two surviving children will be eligible for 15 days’ paternity leave during his wife’s confinement.

This leave may be combined with any other kind of leave except casual leave. The leave shall be applied up to 15 days before or up to six months from the date of delivery of the child.

This forms part of the bipartite settlement/joint note signed on Monday between Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), which represents the management, and the unions in Mumbai.

Bank officers will now be able to stand pat with counterparts in the government sector in terms of being able to spend a period of 15 days with their new-born.

The Centre had in 1999 notified the Central Civil Services (Leave) Rule 551 (A) to declare paternity leave for a male employee (including an apprentice and probationer) with less than two surviving children for a period of 15 days to take care of his wife and newborn child.

But there isn’t any such law that makes the same obligatory on the private sector. Hence, paternity leave has been open to interpretation by individual companies.

Five-day week Meanwhile, the joint note, a copy of which is available with Business Line , seems to suggest that the five-day banking week is still a work-in-progress at best.

It agrees that in terms of understanding (dated February 23) reached between the two parties, every second and fourth Saturdays of the month will be holidays and other Saturdays will be full working days. The IBA has initiated steps to get clearances from the Reserve Bank of India and the Centre.

The change will be effective only after approval by the RBI and notification issued by the Centre.

On or from June 1, 2015, under Regulation 33(4) of Officers Service Regulation 1979/82, privilege leave may be accumulated up to not more than 270 days.

This will stand to scrutiny except where leave has been applied and it has been refused. However, encashment of privilege leave shall be restricted up to a maximum of 240 days.

Also, a special sick leave of up to 30 days may be granted to an officer employee once during his/her entire period of service for donation of kidney/organ.